1. U.S. Information Quality Standards
Shannon Joyce
White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
U.S./Colombia RIA and GRP Workshop
Bogota, Colombia
April 11, 2018
Any views expressed here are solely those of the presenter, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Office of Management and Budget or the Executive Office of the President.

2. The Importance of Quality Information as the Foundation of Policy
Our Nation and our economy both rely on the flow of objective, credible information to inform the decisions of governments, businesses, organizations, and individuals.
Information protection and dissemination policies are crucial to maintaining public trust in government information and decisions.
The United States promotes data-driven decisions and evidence-based policy through its government-wide policies for data quality, access, protection, and sharing.

3. Types of Government Data
Statistical
Administrative (program)
Surveillance
Research
Analytic information

4. Information Oversight
Privacy Policy
Enhance trust in the Federal government’s protection of personal information
Oversight surrounding stewardship of government information
Statistical Policy
Ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, and credibility of the Federal statistical system.
Directives promote the objectivity, reliability, relevance, timeliness of data, and consistent measurement methods.

5. Information Oversight
Information Collection Review
Maximize the usefulness of information collected from the public
Minimize burden on the public – only collect what is absolutely necessary and nothing more.
Dissemination of Government Information
Increase public access to government data to drive private innovation.
Increase transparency of data underlying policies.
Increase quality of data used to drive policies (e.g., peer review of scientific assessments)

6. U.S. Information Quality Guidelines
The quality of information be appropriate for the context in which it is used
Pre-dissemination review appropriate to type of information.
In the case of scientific information, peer review.
Opportunity for challenging the quality of information in the context in which it was used.

7. What is Quality Information?
Not a static standard. Consider the:
Fitness for purpose
rigor of design, completeness of the data, external validity
Utility
Usefulness of the information to the intended users
Objectivity
is the information presented in an accurate, clear, complete, and unbiased manner? Are your assumptions transparent?

8. Highest Standard for Information: Influential Information
Information is ‘influential’ when the information “will have or does have a clear and substantial impact on important public policies or important private sector decisions.
Influential information needs to meet additional quality standards including reproducibility
Agencies define criteria for influential within context of their mission.
Each agency has defined influential in ways appropriate for that agency.
Education and HHS use broad OMB Guidelines definition.
EPA has specified that this definition includes information which: supports agency rulemakings, is used in support of Economically Significant actions as defined in EO 12866, or is a major work product undergoing peer review.
Influential information should be disseminated in a manner transparent enough to facilitate reproducibility.
Purpose is to cultivate a consistent agency commitment to transparency.
It is not OMB’s intent that each analytic result must be reproduced before it is disseminated.
A standard of ‘capable of being substantially reproduced’ is applied.
Means that independent analysis of the original or supporting data using identical methods would generate similar analytic results, subject to an acceptable degree of imprecision or error.

9. Tools to Increase Information Quality
Survey design guidance
Measurement and classification standards
Review of Information Collection Requests
Analytic guidance (risk principles)
Regulatory review – scientific/technical analysis
Transparency of methods and limitations
Pre-dissemination review (e.g., peer review for scientific analyses)

10. Assessing Information Quality in an RIA
Is the justification supported with data, analysis, or literature or is the agency simply making contentions?
Is the set of literature or facts cited balanced and complete?
Is the tone of the presentation objective? Are the assumptions clear?
Is the literature review masquerading as an evaluation? If so, was there peer review?
Does the discussion distinguish between science and policy?

11. Useful Links – Information Policy
Paperwork Reduction Act:
Privacy Act: edition
E-Government Act: publ347/pdf/PLAW-107publ347.pdf
Information Quality Act: Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law ) publ554.htm
Government-wide Information Quality Guidelines:
CIPSEA guidance: /content-detail.html
Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking:

12. Shannon Joyce: sjoyce@omb.eop.gov
Questions?
Thank you!
Contact information:
Shannon Joyce:
Not sure about providing contact info. I’m fine to read off either or phone numbers. If there is concern, we could do the main phone line.
Deliberative staff materials. Subject to further revision. Do not distribute/duplicate.